🔥 Novelty West African Ngoni Kora 8-Stringed Instrument - Made In Ghana -

Description

In the 1300s, the traveller Ibn Battuta mentioned that the women who accompanied Dugha to perform were carrying bows that they plucked. He did not mention the number of strings, but this clearly shows the existence of harp instruments in 14th century Mali and could be the earliest written reference to the kora. The kora is designed like a bow with a gourd, similarly to Ibn Battuta's description, but Battuta did not go into enough detail about the instruments for them to be identifiable. The earliest European reference to the kora in Western literature is in Travels in Interior Districts of Africa (1799) by the Scotsman Mungo Park. The most likely scenario, based on Mandinka oral tradition, suggests that the origins of the kora may ultimately be linked with Jali Mady Fouling Cissoko, some time after the founding of Kaabu in the 16th century.
Item description:
I believe this Kora is meant to be used mainly as a display / collectors piece rather than to be used as a musical instrument because of its age. It looks much better as a conversation piece than a musical piece. The instrument does play, but some of the strings play a bit off key. It is pretty fun and easy to play though.
Good overall condition, no missing parts or pieces. There are some minor stains / marks on the front, but they are only cosmetic issues and is fairly common with items this old. The date is unknown, but my best guess is sometime between 1960-1980. There is also the very small number 2045 on the front leather, but I couldn’t find any reference to that online.
Other than that there are just some wear marks on the back (scuffs, marks, blemishes) but is only cosmetic and does not affect the functionality or integrity of the Kora.
*PRICED TO SELL*